Correct: A bouquet of yellow roses lends . Does either one of the boys want breakfast? The following is the sort of flawed sentence one sees and hears a lot these days: The staff is deciding how they want to vote. Rule 4. Under this condition, the verb is singular or plural based on the subject closest to the verb. Either his mother or my sisters are singing in the pub tonight. Examples: Either the vase or the dish was/were a gift. Use a singular verb with distances, periods of time, sums of money, etc., when considered as a unit. (one of his brothers, not plural brothers). A Those that truly sound wrong are the examples with the preposition of (of your daughters, of yours) following either or neither.
All of the pie is gone. The either/neither question I run into most often in real life is which of the following is correct: Me neither or me either? Rule 5b. Me either. (Technically, it is the singular subject of the object clause in the subjunctive mood: it were Friday.) 9. examples above demonstrate, this isn’t strictly grammatically accurate, but Example: The list of items is/are on the desk.
Italics? Learn how your comment data is processed. For this reason some English speakers may (albeit All Rights Reserved. Still, it pays to know what is considered correct. A third of the city is unemployed. Lists of Verbs and Parallel Constructions.
Neither of my brothers wants to be left at home. If the closest subject is plural, use a plural verb.
In this example, Either (or Either one) is the subject and behaves like a singular noun.
I’ve included quite a few—several with similar wordings. In other words, when the either/neither phrase comes before the therefore, were, which we usually think of as a plural verb, is used with the singular it.
Rule 5a. But do at least recognize when the the grammar isn’t standard or may be questionable. Breaking and entering is against the law. Rule 7. Hence, though we English users are not always bothered about strict grammatical accuracy, so it
The word of is the culprit in many, perhaps most, subject-verb mistakes. does not create a plural on its own. Neither the teacher nor his students was/were present.
Most of the jury is here OR are here. couplets.As Either the three elephants or the lone tiger is going to be cut from the second act. If it is plural, use a plural verb. Neither the serving bowl nor the plates go on that shelf. Most of the time we want to be grammatically correct. This rule does not apply to the correlative pairs Either…or and Neither…nor, which are discussed in the next section. To convey the negative, use me neither. closest noun. “Dogs” is a plural subject that takes the … (Not “are”). ; Either my brother or my parents looks look after our cat when we’re away on holiday. Focus your attention on the noun closest to the verb. But they are correct or incorrect as marked. For example: – Is he or the students busy? ELB has produced a series of bestselling English guides, available from all major retailers, with over 25,000 copies sold worldwide. Neither Angela nor her friends _____ going to the concert. A subject will come before a phrase beginning with of. Neither the accountant nor his clients know the combination. Enter email address to subscribe and receive notifications of new posts by email. Have you looked up either and neither only to find competing rules about their use, about whether they are indeed singular or plural? (Here the verb is agrees with the third person pronoun he.)
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little strange to the ear, as there is an option of a plural completing the Fill in the blanks with a verb form that agrees with the subject. If you know that list is the subject, then you will choose is for the verb. These words and phrases are not part of the subject. . Also, does the same rule apply to regular “or” sentences? Also, see this SAT resource for subject-complement agreement.
If you have questions, please ask. The politician, along with the newsmen, is expected shortly. Copyright by Jane Straus/GrammarBook.com.
This grammar worksheet is designed for students of classes 5 and 6. Neither lions make good pets nor tigers make good pets. Some of the pie is missing. Here, neither is the subject and behaves like a singular noun. In fiction, use your judgment about characters using improper grammar with either or neither. This rule can lead to bumps in the road. As a general rule, use a plural verb with two or more subjects when they are connected by and. 1. Ten dollars (i.e., dollar bills) were scattered on the floor. Neither Juan nor Carmen is available. 5) “Both men relied heavily on their wife” or “Both men relied heavily on their wives”? Almost everybody (has / have) some difficulty with writing. The singular subject “cat” matches the singular verb “is.” If we flip the sentence, the verb will change. Two singular subjects connected by or, either/or, or neither/nor require a singular verb. . And some that are incorrect sound correct. This is a key rule for understanding subjects. Some questions include collective nouns. Examples: X. This Some of the pies are missing. 21 Posts Related to Subject Verb Agreement Worksheets Neither Nor. A collection of English ESL worksheets for home learning, ... 2 pages-ws to practice on either or - neither nor - not only but olso both - and. It requires the singular verb is. It must not be done carelessly. (A) is (B) But they can also be conjunctions (correlative), adjectives, determiners, and even adverbs. (I’m pretty sure that I regularly use several of these examples incorrectly when I say similar sentences.). The Rewriting such sentences is recommended whenever possible. BUT Many students have troubles with collective nouns and subject-verb agreement. Yet correct isn’t always our first goal. That’s up to you to decide. Neither and either always take singular verbs when acting as the subject of a sentence. 3. Neither of the brothers want breakfast. Either and neither are pronouns. I would probably never say this, but is it technically correct? That’s what I thought. 2) “We help clients get the most out of their life” or “We help clients get the most out of their lives”?
Notes.
C. Adjectives and Adverbs with Sense Verbs, B.
Remembering Jane Straus | May 18, 1954—February 25, 2011 | Author of the original Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation. This rule can lead to bumps in the road. Some of these that are right don’t sound right to the ear, do they? said, however, you may find that with informal English a plural is used. instances it’s best to Not me either. With the free ELB Newsletter, you'll get English lessons sent directly to your inbox! Have you ever struggled with either or neither, wondering if they referred to subjects singular or plural, wondering if they took singular or plural verbs? It’s when one subject is singular and the other plural that you have to pay attention. For example, if I is one of two (or more) subjects, it could lead to this odd sentence: If the subject closest to the verb is singular, use a singular verb.
5) “Both men relied heavily on their wives”—unless we’re talking two men married to the same woman, go with wives.
have two nouns, the verb should then be singular: To Neither the musicians nor the conductor is ready for the performance.
I wish it were Friday. Subject Verb Agreement Or Nor - Displaying top 8 worksheets found for this concept. I can’t either. When one of the words is used to modify the single subject of a sentence, it takes a singular verb. I would reverse the order here and start with Evidence of Labour’s recovery . There is a high hurdle to jump. Either Larry or the Wilson boys hold the record.
A third of the people are unemployed. . Either Mary or Alice is responsible for this. As
HINT: Try substituting they (plural pronoun), then use a plural verb (without “s”). 3.
Ignore them and use a singular verb when the subject is singular. In this example, Either (or Either one) is the subject and behaves like a singular noun. EXAMPLE: Neither the cat nor the dogs are going outside. Either my sisters or his mother is singing in the pub tonight. Either do I. The subjunctive mood pairs singular subjects with what we usually think of as plural verbs. The students have to respond to the given statements using neither/nor, so + auxiliary verb. Get more practice with subject-verb agreement by reviewing Chapter 7 of Language Network, pages 164-183. With collective nouns such as group, jury, family, audience, population, the verb might be singular or plural, depending on the writer's intent.
My aunt or my uncle is arriving by train today. Rule: when subjects are joined by or, either…or, neither…nor, the verb must agree with the nearer subject. If in context it seems like a singular to you, use a singular verb; if it seems like a plural, use a plural verb. The word were replaces was in sentences that express a wish or are contrary to fact: Example: If Joe were here, you'd be sorry. Neither my sisters nor his mother is singing in the pub tonight. can be acceptable in informal settings. Subject / Verb Agreement Worksheet 2 Underline the correct verb in the parentheses. Neither the teacher nor his students was/were present. I can either. But either and neither are still singular, even when followed by a prepositional phrase containing a plural object. The first sentence in this next example isn’t wrong, so you wouldn’t have to change it. (bouquet lends, not roses lend). A lot of the pies have disappeared. Subject Verb Agreement Worksheets Neither Nor. Examples: Neither the plates nor the serving bowl goes on that shelf. This depends on the nouns included; the option between two (either one or the other) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window), Advanced Writing Skills for Students of English, The English Tenses Practical Grammar Guide.
Watch out – when using either or neither the verb agrees with the second subject, NOT the first:.
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Thanks, Beth! When none is clearly intended to mean "not one," it is followed by a singular verb. we use either…or
complication to these rules comes when one choice is singular and the other is When you connect two nouns with as well as, with or along with, the verb should agree with the noun that goes before these words.That means if the noun that goes before as well as, with or along with is singular, the verb should be singular. of these options will complete the action, so when we have a choice between two both complete the action, but we use either to indicate only one of them will. Both of us (is / are) voting in the next election. Either my brother or my mum look looks after our cat when we’re away on holiday. 4) “They shook their heads”—they definitely don’t share one head. And my last question, what if you have a question like this: “Play” is closest to “any of them”, but the auxiliary verb “do” is closest to “she.” Should it be “does” (does she play) or “do?” (do any of them play), Hi..please help me. Parentheses are not part of the subject. Neither she, I, nor my friends are going to the festival. Edit wisely. There is no one absolute answer here. Neither the plates nor the serving bowl goes on that shelf.
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